Fastener for purses and bags.



T.. TIGHE. FASTBNER FOR PURSBS AND BAGS. APPLIOATION FILED NOV. 30, 1912.

Patented Oct. '7, 1913.

COLUMBIA PLANMIRAP" co.. WASHINGTON D c THOMAS TIGHE, 0F CLAREMORRIS, IRE-LAND.

FASTENER FOR PURSES AND BAGS.

LII? 4,911 6).

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented @et. '7, 1913.

Application filed November 30, 1912. Serial No. 734,333.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS TIGHE, of Claremorris, in the county of Mayo, Ireland, captain in His Majestys Army, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in a Fastener for Purses and Bags, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to automatic safety catches as applied to a type of fastener commonly used on ladies bags, purses and the like, which consists of a pair of smooth knobs at the ends of curved arms secured to the lips of the purse or the like, and so arranged that during the closing together of the'lips the knobs slide past each other in contact and grip together by the resilience of the frame, a twisting action of thumb and finger releasing the grip when it is desired to open the purse. Now it is obvious that the security of fastenings of this kind as hitherto made must depend partly upon the force exerted by the frame and partly upon the amount of mutual overlapping of the knobs. If either of these factors is insuflicient the purse is liable to open too easily and is insecure, the smoothness of the knobs facilitating opening as well as closing.

My invention is intended to avoid this objection without materially altering the general appearance of the fastening and mode of release. IVith this object I provide that the knobs when in the closed position are effectually locked together by the automatic shooting of a member forming part of one of the knobs into a groove or recess in the other, means also being provided to facilitate the withdrawal of the said member for the purpose of opening the purse or the like.

Some forms of the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings, where Figures 1, 2 and 3 show a preferred form in three successive positions, namely when the purse is open, nearly closed, and closed respectively. Fig. 4: is a central section of the lower knob having a slidable member as in Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a section of the knob on line 55 in Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a section of the knob on line 66 in Fig. 1. Fig. 7 is a central section of a knob with pivotally slidable member. Fig. 8 is a section taken along the line of division between the two halves of the device shown in Fig. 7. Fig. 9 is a similar section showing a modification.

In the preferred form of the invention shown in Figs. 1 to 6, the member which performs the function of a bolt consists of one half of one of the knobs. As now described, these knobs are assumed to be spherical, and one of the knobs is divided into two hemispheres one of which A can slide over the other B in their plane of contact. This movement is limited and is controlled by a spring C or equivalent that tends to make an edge of one hemisphere overhang the other to the extent of about one sixteenth of an inch and thus form the catch or projection E. The remaining sphere I) has a corresponding groove or recess F to receive this projection. The sphere D and hemisphere B are respectively mounted rigidly by arms H, J upon the lips K, L of the hinged framework.

The hemisphere A is secured to its companion B by means of a shoulder M which projects from the flat face of B and is housed in a corresponding recess or run N in A. As shown in Fig. 5, this shoulder and recess are so shaped as to hold the hemispheres together while at the same time allowing such a slight sliding motion as will cause the catch E to project sufficiently toward the sphere D and to retire until even with the other hemisphere. The spring 0 is compressed within the run N at the closed end nearest to E. The other end is at first open, but when the spring has been placed in position and the shoulder M inserted and pressed thereon, that end is also closed by a plug 0.

In the forms shown in Figs. 7, 8 and 9 the two hemispheres are held together by a pin P passed through both of them eccentrically so as to act as a pivot. The sliding action will thus be circular, and the recess N is shaped accordingly as an annular are concentric with P. The shoulder M and recess N need not be shaped so as to hold the hemispheres together as in the form first described, otherwise the arrangement is similar.

Modifications may of course be introduced; for example the spring which acts upon the shoulder M may be placed on the other side of M and be arranged as a tension spring R as shown in Fig. 9.

To facilitate opening in any of the forms the parts of the surfaces of the knobs which receive the pressure of the thumb and finger during the opening of the purse may be conveniently roughened or corrugated.

In all the forms described, the action of the catch is as follows.:-Assuming;the purse to be open, on the lips approaching one another the smooth part of the'projection on one of the knobs is brought into contactwith the other knob which is grooved: and

the pressure between the two is so directed as to cause the projection to retire until it comes opposite the groove, whereupon it shoots'intothe'groove and locks the catch until released by the usual twistingaction of thumband finger.

the latter is closed; a member projecting knobs and dep're'ssibl'e i from one of the I against a springwithinithe'same adapted to engage automatlcally in a recessin' the other.

knob and-to lock thetwo together when the frame is closed. 7

2." In fasteners of the type described, a knob consisting of a pair of hemispheres one of'which is rigidly fixed on the. frame and the other is slidably mounted upon its companion so. that one part of its edges can project beyond that of the latter, a ispring located in a recess-between the two hemispheres adapted to cause the said part of the edge" normally to project and'a' second knob rigidly mounted'o-n' theoppositef-raine: ijfl having an indentation adapted toregceive. the aforesaid normally projectingpart- 35 and thus to" lock the twoknobs' together until greleased by'the ordinary twisting action. of gthumb andfin'ger; T; TIGHE.

LoUIsA MITCHELL.

co -mm: thispatentmay be obtained for five: cents each,-by:adressingthe 'fiommissioner of'fat'ents Washington, ,1). CL 

